I thought Shark’s new robot vacuum cleaner would be a gimmick – but it quickly proved me wrong (and now I can’t stop using it)

The world of robot vacuum cleaners has become a competitive place, with brands looking to out-smart and out-tech each other at every turn - and sometimes this can result in gimmicks that nobody really wants or needs. So, when Shark announced the new Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal 2-in-1 Vac & Mop Robot Vacuum, I wondered whether they’d gone down the gimmick route.

But I don’t like to judge a book by its cover, which is why I decided to test the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal out for myself - and it instantly squashed any concerns I had. Sure, it’s not perfect, but this new robot vacuum cleaner definitely has what it takes to compete with the best robot vacuum cleaners on the market today.

In a nutshell

In all of my years of testing vacuums, I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m a fan of the best Shark vacuum cleaners. Most of the time, I find that they’re easy to use and get the job done with minimal fuss - and the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal 2-in-1 Vac & Mop Robot Vacuum RV3000XEUK is further proof of that.

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Yes, I’m under no illusion that robot vacuum cleaners can be intimidating, but this new model is anything but that. The app couldn’t be simpler, the cleaning and maintenance required is minimal and quite literally spelt out for you, and it’s smart and efficient enough to be left to its own devices without worrying about it going AWOL or bumping into furniture every five minutes.

The eight PowerDetect technologies in this robot vacuum and mop combo deliver a reliable clean every time, and it’s particularly impressive on hard flooring thanks to its three cleaning modes and wet and dry edge-cleaning features. However, it’s the UV Reveal Technology - which I previously thought would be a gimmick - that is truly the winning feature, as it’ll reveal stains you don’t even know are there.

The elephant in the room is that this is a pricier model in Shark’s robot repertoire, and it doesn’t support multi-floor mapping, which could be a dealbreaker for some. But whether you’re a prospective first-time robot vacuum cleaner owner or you’re looking to step up from your current model, I genuinely think you’ll be very happy with this robot vacuum.

Specifications

• Max. run time: 180 minutes
• Suction power: Not supplied
• Bin volume: 0.36L (bot), 1.51L (dock)
• Mop function: Yes
• Charge time: 4 hours
• Noise levels: 69-74dB (tested by us)
• Dimensions: H44.45, W36.32, D46.1cm
• Weight: 12.21kg
• Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

I’ve tested enough robot vacuum cleaners now to know that I shouldn’t expect a small, lightweight package to arrive on my doorstep. So, the 17.2kg box that held the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal didn’t exactly surprise me - but you might need a hand moving it inside if you have any mobility issues or can’t carry that much weight by yourself.

Inside the box, everything was encased in a cardboard scaffold for protection, and the bot was enclosed in a smaller box, while the dock and the dock base were wrapped in recyclable paper. In fact, everything was recyclable, which was a huge tick in my books.

From the get-go, I also knew that I wouldn’t struggle with assembly or getting started. That’s because everything from the stickers on the bot itself to the dock and the ‘Quick Start’ guide printed on the inside of the box gave me all of the information I needed to know. And as setting up robot vacuums for the first time can be intimidating, I really do think Shark stands out from the crowd with these additions.

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To get started, I placed the dock on hard flooring in its new home - which, in my case, was my dining room - before installing the ramp, which clicked into place easily. I then attached the side brush (again, with a rather satisfying click), inserted the anti-odour cartridge into the top of the dock, and slid the robot onto the base to start charging.

With that done, I followed the instructions to fill up the clean water tank. This is where Shark impressed me once again, as the brand included a free bottle of their VacMop solution, which was originally designed for the very handy Shark VacMop, but is now compatible with many of its robot vacuums. This was a nice touch, as so many brands don’t offer a sample of their cleaning solution as standard.

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The measurements are also easy to follow here. There are lines on the clean water tank indicating the water fill line, and a separate line for the cleaning solution. So, it’s impossible to go wrong during this step.

The last step of the setup process was to link the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal to the Shark Clean app and let it map out my home. This was incredibly easy to do, with the app talking me through everything and laying out exactly what it needed from me. The mapping process then took around 10 minutes, during which it mapped the entire ground floor of my house, detecting floor types and furniture it needed to avoid.

Ease of use

One thing I will say about robot vacuum cleaners is that they always vary in app complexity. But the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal is so easy to use and offers just the right amount of app customisation - making it suitable for newbies or those looking to upgrade an older model.

You can edit the map, set up a schedule, choose which room (or spot) you want to clean, and even change the cleaning mode. This includes Vacuum-only, Mopping-only, and Vacuum + Mop. Within these modes, you also have power levels - three for vacuuming (Eco, Normal and Max) and three for mopping (Eco, Normal and Max).

You can also turn off the UV Stain Detect if you want to, but I really don’t know why you’d want to, as this is one of the model’s key features - as well as one of the most impressive.

Within the ‘Settings’ category, you can also customise the robot and the dock, changing everything from the stain lights to the button sounds, pad dry duration, cleaning preferences and more. Once you’ve found what works for you and your home, it’s unlikely that you’d need to do much with these, but it’s still nice to have the options there.

One touch I really like is that you can also see the completed ‘Mission Report’ after the robot finishes cleaning. This report gives you a lowdown on the stats, from the time spent cleaning to the modes used and any stains detected.

However, my one big niggle with all of Shark’s robot vacuum cleaners is that they don’t allow for multi-floor mapping. This means that you can only store one map in the app - whether that be the upstairs or the downstairs.

It also means that you have to choose between three options. 1) You only use the robot vacuum on one floor of your house and use an alternative cleaning tool to clean any other floor. 2) You use the robot vacuum on another floor without a map or proper navigation. 3) You buy another robot vacuum for the other floors of your house.

Since there’s a very obvious section in the app to add another robot vacuum, I’m going to assume that Shark would prefer you to opt for the latter. But I do think the brand would benefit from offering customers the chance to save multiple maps, as this is something that almost every other robot vacuum brand offers in spades - especially at this price point. In fact, most offer you the chance to save up to five maps.

Aside from this, though, the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal was an absolute dream to use, and I’d go as far as to say that it’s impossible to go wrong with it.

Performance

Shark’s new robot vacuum boasts a whopping eight PowerDetect Technologies, including Dirt Detect, UV Stain Detect, HyperSonic Mopping, Floor Detect, Edge Detect, Wet Edge Detect, Automatic Mop Pickup & Object Detect. And while this sounds impressive on paper, it’s my job to test whether they’re worthwhile.

So, in keeping with our strict robot vacuum testing process, I decided to see how the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal would fare against a debris test. To do this, I threw rice and oats on the floor to test the dry suction power.

The result? Pretty impressive. The bot managed to pick up every speck of debris within 1-2 passes, and it didn’t fling it around like many robot vacuums often do. I then repeated the process on a carpet sample, and the results were still good, but it took the robot a few more passes to pick up every speck.

I then moved on to the mopping test, where I squirted tomato sauce onto the floor and watched how well it removed the wet debris. This was also a positive experience, and the robot vacuum worked hard to remove all visible debris in seconds. Thanks to the VacMop solution, there was absolutely no lingering smell left behind either.

Next up was the obstacle test, where I test a robot vacuum’s ability to both detect and navigate an obstacle it isn’t expecting. In this instance, I popped a dumbbell in its cleaning path and watched it seamlessly do both. And as you can see from the video, it still cleaned the immediate area surrounding the dumbbell without touching it once.

After it passed these tests with flying colours, I used the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal as naturally as any other customer would. And one thing that really impressed me was its ability to adjust to changes in debris level and floor type, and to remove pet hair from my rugs and carpets, as evidenced by the mountain of both human and pet hair visible in the debris chamber after cleaning.

The vacuuming mode is definitely better on hard flooring than it is on carpet or rugs, but it was still more than enough for light cleaning on softer flooring, and I felt extremely confident using it. I didn’t have to follow it around to make sure it didn’t get stuck, and its ability to lift its mop meant that I could breathe a sigh of relief that my rugs wouldn’t get wet either.

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The pièce de résistance of this new Shark model, though, is the UV Reveal technology, which is truly remarkable. After all, I obsessively clean my floors as Ideal Home’s Floorcare Expert, and I’d say that they look incredibly clean.

On its first proper clean of the downstairs of my house, though, the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal uncovered four hidden stains that were completely invisible to the naked eye. And when it found these spots with its UV light, it worked hard to remove them with HyperSonic Mopping. This was actually quite fun to watch, as the bot would mop around in circles until it was confident it had removed the stains.

Cleaning and maintenance

Robot vacuum cleaners with docks are far superior to those that don’t have them, and the dock that comes with Shark’s PowerDetect UV Reveal model is proof of that. This is the kind of dock that does everything for you; it’s self-emptying, self-refilling and self-cleaning. In fact, it automatically washes and sanitises the mop pad with hot 85°C water, then dries it with 80°C air to prevent bacterial or mould growth.

Unlike many other robot vacuums, it also empties the dust into a bagless base, preventing the need to buy replacement bags in the future. One thing I do question is the ‘60-day capacity’, though, as I had almost completely filled mine up during the two-week testing period.

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However, it is worth noting that I used it every single day (and sometimes twice daily) and performed specific tests with lots of debris that could have impacted this. I also have a new rug that sheds like crazy right now, so it’s hard to judge this exact claim, as there are so many factors at play, including how often you use the robot vacuum and how much debris you’re vacuuming up.

Nevertheless, I do think the 0.36L dust capacity on the bot and the 1.51L capacity on the dock are enough to ensure it remains as hands-off as possible for a couple of weeks, which is still better than emptying it after every use.

One thing I also appreciated was that the base maintenance requirements were printed on the inside of the dock’s lid. This includes refilling and emptying the clean and dirty water tanks after every four mop missions or as needed, emptying the dust bin, cleaning the pre-motor filter (located on the top of the dock) every 30 days or as needed, and the post-motor filter (located on the left-hand side of the dock) every six months or as needed.

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Shark also advises replacing the odour puck every six months, and these can be bought directly from Shark for £15.99 for a pack of 2. You can also buy a 2L refill of the Shark VacMop solution for £14.99 from Shark - but this isn’t necessary if you just want to use water instead.

Of course, Shark includes only one spare part with the PowerDetect UV Reveal as standard: a spare side brush. This means you will need to replace items like the mop pad and filters over time, but you can turn on notifications in the app to let you know when they need replacing.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that the bot gets ridiculously dirty during use. I tested the black colourway, and it seemed to pick up a huge amount of dust and hair that needed to be wiped off after every use. So, just be prepared to do that with a clean cloth.

How does it rate online?

The Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal 2-in-1 Vac & Mop Robot Vacuum is a relatively new addition to the Shark family, but it already has an impressive set of reviews on the Shark website. At the time of writing, it has 43 reviews with an overall rating of 4.8 stars out of 5.

So many customers love how hands-off this robot vacuum is, saying it offers impressive cleaning and navigation, meaning they can leave it to its own devices without worrying about it getting stuck or hitting obstacles. They also found the cleaning solution to be a handy extra and believe the UV reveal functionality to be a worthwhile investment.

Some have criticised the robot vacuum's edge cleaning, stating that it hasn’t always cleaned right up to the edges of their rooms or furniture, and noting that it performs better on hard floors than on thicker carpets and rugs.

However, it is important to note that almost all of the reviews on the website so far have been written by those who received a free product from Shark for testing purposes. They are not obligated to give a positive review, but bear in mind that this may impact their rating. Because of this, I will update this section when more paying customers have reviewed it.

How does it compare to similar models?

I’ve previously tested the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch 2-in-1 RV2800YEUK, which is sadly no longer available to buy. Both models were very similar, and I also praised this model for its ease of use and cleaning.

However, there’s no denying that the UV Reveal offers a step-up in stain-detection technology and all PowerDetect features. I also think it looks a lot sleeker and more expensive - which, of course, it is. But even if the NeverTouch was still available to buy, I’d still recommend the UV Reveal as the better option.

It’s also worth comparing it to the similarly priced Roborock Saros 20, which I tested just a week before this one, as these two models couldn’t be more different. On the one hand, the Shark is simple to use and offers a little bit of customisation without being overwhelming.

On the other hand, the Saros 20 offers so much choice it could be a little too much for the everyday user. The features available are complex and ideal for those who really want to get stuck in with their cleaning efforts - especially as it’s also the most powerful robot vacuum I’ve ever tested - but it will suit those who are already extremely familiar with robot vacuums.

So, it really depends on what you’re after. If you’d prefer a simple, easy-to-use robot vacuum that will get the job done fairly well, the Shark is your best bet. If you want to ensure a precise, customised clean every time, the Roborock could be a better choice.

Verdict: Should you buy the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal 2-in-1 Vac & Mop Robot Vacuum RV3000XEUK?

Testing the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal 2-in-1 Vac & Mop Robot Vacuum was genuinely an enjoyable experience - something that isn’t always the case with these appliances. So much so that I’m writing this almost a week after my testing period was supposed to end, and I’m still using it as my day-to-day robot vacuum.

This is largely because it really does offer the best of both worlds - an effective clean with minimal fuss or hands-on input. It gets the job done quickly and efficiently, while navigating homes, obstacles and hidden stains with ease.

Because of this, I do think the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal is a good investment. Admittedly, it is on the more expensive end of the spectrum, but for what you get, I do think it’s worth it… as long as you’re willing to overlook the fact that you can only save one map.